Jacksonville Police Chief Addresses July 4 Dog Shooting Incident

On July 4, a Jacksonville, Texas, family's dog was shot and killed by a police officer, and the news quickly spread across social media. Chief Andrew Hawkes held a press conference Friday [July 13] to clarify what happened and release body cam footage of the incident.

According to our media partner KLTV, during the press conference Chief Andrew Hawkes addressed several rumors circulating on social media, separating fact from fiction.

Chief Hawkes stated that the officer was dispatched to a call at the residence to investigate a report of fireworks being discharged. You can see from the bodycam footage that while there, the German Shepard charged at the officer, growling and attempting to bite her. That is when she shot him. The dog was outside and not on a leash at the time.

The incident report states in part:

As you will see from the bodycam footage, when the dog charged the officer, the officer had less than three seconds to stop the aggressive action of the canine and protect herself from being bitten.

"Officers do not have to wait until they are injured to protect themselves from injury threat or death," Hawkes said. "I will always defend my officers’ right to protect themselves."

The officer apologized to the family several times, as verified by the bodycam footage.

KLTV also reported that a departmental administrative inquiry has been opened and the incident is still under investigation.